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2023

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The working principle of automotive air conditioning and heating systems


The common types of automotive air conditioning and heating systems include engine waste heat, PTC heating, and waste heat+PTC heating.

Working principle of automobile air conditioning and heating system Engine waste heat type heating system Cars, truck and minibuses mostly use engine waste heat water heating system. This system introduces engine coolant into the heater core, which is heated by a blower that blows air inside or outside the cabin through the heater core. The water valve is installed at the water outlet of the engine block, and the water flow rate can be adjusted by controlling the opening of the water valve to adjust the heating capacity of the heater.

Due to the lack of an engine and insufficient heat generated by other heating components to meet the heating needs of the cabin, the PTC heating system in pure electric vehicles requires other heat sources for heating, usually using PTC heaters. There are currently two main options for PTC heating. One is the PTC heated air type, and the other is the PTC heated coolant type.

In order to achieve faster heating effects, some internal combustion engine vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles adopt the waste heat+PTC heating system. For example, the head and neck heating system of Mercedes Benz SLK and E350 places the PTC heater inside the headrest of the seat, and the generated hot air is directly directed to the head and neck of the driver and passenger; The hybrid Corolla installs a PTC heater in an evaporation chamber (referred to as a fast heater), with the aim of quickly heating and compensating for insufficient residual heat in the hybrid car engine.